"Lady Chatterley's Lover" Trial

In 1960 when Penguin Books tried to publish the unexpurgated version of "Lady Chatterley's Lover", they were promptly prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act which Parliament had passed the previous year. To mark the 30th anniversary of the trial, the court transcript is reproduced here together with an introduction setting out the legal and social background to the case. The prosecution maintained that Lawrence's novel was pornographic, likely to deprave, corrupt and morally pervert anyone who might read it. The defense, in response, mustered an array of expert witnesses, including Rebecca West, Cecil Day-Lewis, Norman St John Stevas, Roy Jenkins, Lord Annan and E.M. Forster. In memorable testimony they passionately defended the book as an honest and sincere novel of rare literary merit and D.H. Lawrence as one of the greatest writers of the century. The "not guilty" verdict returned by the jury struck a crucial blow for the freedom of literature and publishing alike.